Derrygal

Gosh Fulwood - you arrived here the same year as me - I came here in 1984 (well not here, but to Georgia) I lived there for 3 years, then moved back to England in 1987 - then came back to the US in 1990 and have been here ever since.

I totally get the "would I do it again - don't know" part of your statement. I don't know if I would - I don't hate it here, but the weird thing is, the longer I stay here the more things I find not to like and the more unsettled I have become. Yet I am probably stuck here as I think I would miss my kids/grandkids too much if I moved back. I know what you mean about the friends thing - I have "friends" here but they are not the real close friends I have in England and N Ireland (where I grew up) and I can honestly say if I were to move back, I would probably not keep in touch with them much.

Still I am sure that both you and I are not the same people we were 30 years ago - apart from us being 30 years older (and I am way older than you) I am sure our experiences have shaped and altered our personalities a little. Anyway - happy 30th anniversary (or not) - all the best to you. I know that you are contemplating a move back to the UK.

Shard

Last paragraph above is generally the way it is.

fulwood

Hello Derrygal, small world eh! Yes you and others are right - we do change. The decision made 30 years to come here was made by a young woman, who had ambitions, dreams, desire to see father again etc. Now that woman is middle-aged and youthful dreams have faded, father has passed away (young like my brother), still have ambitions but tailored to a person who is aware of passage of time but still wants to see and do a few more things in life.. I will be moving back to UK for good but not right now.. I understand your reasons for staying here though - I would find it hard if I had had kids/grandkids..

curleytops

Time certainly does get away on us doesn't it? It would have been 48 years this past June for me. Milestones make us very reflective on what's happened to us since and would we do it again. I think they can make your departure memories a little more vivid as well.

Last spring when the Titanic Centenary was observed I saw TV coverage from the docks in Southampton and even after all those years recognized them immediately. I was taken back to a night in late May, 1966 when as a young girl I amused myself skipping along the berth waiting for our ship to arrive (it was late) to take us to our new life. Some of that life turned out to be good, some of it not so good. It makes us the people we are. I don't think having regrets for the move serves any purpose (in my case the decision was out of my hands anyway) and the important thing is to be at peace and comfortable with the decisions we make today.

Some of you may remember that my DH and I met each other in the infant's class at school back in 1963 and parted company when my family emigrated, seemingly never to meet again. Then a few years ago, we reconnected on "Friends Reunited" and the rest, as they say, is history. We both feel certain in our own minds that had I remained in England we'd have ended up together as young people and we've lamented a few times about "all those lost years". He's bollocked my Dad more than once for dragging me off to Canada. However, we don't let it get us down and concentrate on being thankful we found one another again. The ship I left this country on docked in Halifax, Canada on June 1, 1966. I think that was the main reason I chose June 1, 2011 as our wedding day - on that day we came full circle.

Fulwood, I think I read in another post that you now feel ready to make your return. That in itself must give you a lot of comfort. I hope you'll soon be coming back for good, you deserve to be happy and home! All the best.

OdysseusLite

I love to read these stories. Every life is a unique and great adventure.

I came to the US in January 1980 to visit a girl I met in Paris. Then I took a Greyhound Bus across country to California. To save money, I slept on the bus at night then spent the days exploring St. Louis, Denver and Reno. In California, I became involved with a religious community and after yo-yoing between UK and US for 3 years, I finally settled in New York. So I must be over the 30-year mark too! America has been good to me but I’ve been feeling the call to go home for about 10 years. Having kids in school and a decent job here, with no prospects back home, has delayed that plan.

What is the attraction? I have family there and none here (my wife’s a foreigner too). Americans are good people but they are not my people. It’s been like lodging with a nice family rather than living with my own family. It’s just not the same and I have never quite been able to relax and feel at home here. The countryside here is stunning, but it’s not my beloved English landscape. Maybe as we get older, some of us feel a need to return to our roots and complete the circle. Others don’t. No reason why anyone should. No reason why they shouldn’t.

Every couple of years or so, I take a trip back to my hometown (Oxford) and get my rose-colored glasses knocked off with a slap in the face. I wonder why I ever thought of going back there. But still I do and probably won’t have any peace until I do.

fulwood

OdysseusLite - like the "lodging as opposed to living" comment. Kind of feel same way.

Fish n Chips 56

Wow I feel alot like you, Iv'e always felt like a guest and 38 yrs later I still do, I go back every year or two and find things in the UK that I dont care for but still the pull for me is there, I Love The UK just feels right, its my kinda place, I feel safe there, many times going back to the airport is my dreaded trip, the flight back is even worse, still I have to say the people here have always been good to me, I cant bad mouth America.

The people the humour and the food are the big attractions in the UK, I just Love a good laugh and some comfort food.

spouse of scouse

That's a ripper story, curlytops. I love to hear of Fate being kind to people Your emigration and wedding date is very auspicious (I'm only saying that because that's my birthday!)

I love reading all the stories on BE - those who went and stayed, those who went and came back again, and the ping pongers too.

Most of the stories and adventures I read on BE seem to begin when people are relatively young, which is probably the best time of life to begin life in a new country. I'll be in my late 50's when I move to Liverpool with Scouse, hopefully to live there for the rest of my life. I have no idea how my story will end, but I'll do my best to make it a good one.

I'm so grateful that we're not born with an inbuilt crystal ball, I think that would be terrifying!

Barrybriggs

I left England a little over twenty eight years ago. At times I have wanted to go back, but realistically it is not a good idea. Thought about it a few times, but you can't bring back to the past, as they say. England has changed quite a lot since I left. I do go back for the odd holiday, though.

curleytops

From one Gemini to another, that's the spirit!